Gel Stain Kitchen Cabinets | Step by Step Tutorial

by Kiersten Vogt

5 Materials

$100

7 Days

Easy

I gel stained our kitchen cabinets in our first flip and loved the outcome so much I gel stained both vanities and the medicine cabinets in both bathrooms!! Check out the full step by step tutorial on my blog.... (I tried to make it as simple as possible yet answer all the questions I had before I started! There, you'll also find all the pretty after pictures!

gel stain kitchen cabinets step by step tutorial

You can check out the full tutorial on how to gel stain cabinets here but here are the basic steps I took to refinish our first flip's kitchen. First, I removed all the hardware... does that really need to be said? - Well what I think is a good reminder would be to put the hardware into a secure box, tote or baggy and label it. We flip houses and we know how things can get lost! Then you need to rough up the surface, scuff up the surface, get rid of the shine/gloss - however you want to say it. A light sanding will do, and don't forget to clean up the dust -it's very important! Check out the post for why!

Next you'll apply whatever stain color you chose and let it dry. If you're not wiping the stain, I let it dry 24 hours before the next coat (but then again, I was in a dark, dingy, probably damp basement. Repeat on the other side. Then repeat steps 4 & 5 if you want a darker and deeper color. I found with each coat, the color got significantly darker each time. Lastly, apply the topcoat! Check out the blog post for what topcoat you should use when going over gel stain and then head on over this post about how to apply it!

When you're over at my blog, don't forget to check out the before and after pictures from the homes we've flipped, including the after photos of this flip's gel stained kitchen! I love connecting with DIYers... I'm on all social media (especially Instagram ) @thestoneheaddiy !!